


The spell

by SennaLaureen



Category: Dragon Age II
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, hurt!Anders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-10
Updated: 2015-08-10
Packaged: 2018-04-14 00:37:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4543476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SennaLaureen/pseuds/SennaLaureen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One morning Fenris wakes up next to Anders to discover that the healer didn't disappear at the crack of the dawn to open his clinic. Yet he never comes to cuddle with the mage anyway.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The spell

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lamenta](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lamenta/gifts).



Fenris woke up delighted to discover Anders' warm body still in his arms, his back pressed firmly against Fenris' chest. Usually the mage slipped out of his grip and went to open the clinic before dawn, but today he remained by Fenris' side.

Fenris pressed a light kiss on the back of his neck, right below the earlobe. Part of him wanted to wake Anders up, the other part wanted to grand the stressed out healer his rest. Fenris' hand travelled higher, and that's when he noticed that Anders was awake. Awake and all tensed up.

Immediately alarmed, Fenris rose on one elbow, watching over the mage's shoulder. Anders pressed his face into the pillows, but from that Fenris could see, the mage was in pain.

"Anders?"

Anders opened his eyes, squirming at the sunlight coming through the curtains of Fenris' mansion. "Go back to sleep, Fenris, I'm fine," his voice barely a hoarse whisper, and Fenris' heart dropped.

It only happened two or three times up until now, but it never failed to leave Fenris in a state of utter helplessness and fear for his lover's well-being. To the question why the healer won't heal his own head ache, Anders only answered that he couldn't, while his face indicated that Fenris just added the pain of some memories to the physical pain Anders was suffering.

This time it was worse, as far as Fenris was concerned: Anders pressed his face almost flat against the pillow and curled on himself.

Driven by something he didn't fully grasp, Fenris left the bed and closed the curtains, effectively cutting off all the sunlight. When he returned to the bed, Anders let out a sigh of relief, eyes still closed, but not squirming away from sunlight anymore.

"Love, please, I need to know that I can do for you," Fenris knew this wasn't the time for half-hearted insults towards the healers inability to heal himself, even though his insults lost all of their sharpness after Fenris found himself commited to the mage. "Anders, please, tell me what to do!" But Anders just stubbornly shook his head in refusal.

Defeated, Fenris slipped under the blankets and pressed the mage's body against his, the one hand in blond hair, the other caressing his back in comforting strokes. Anders let another relieved sigh and pressed his face to Fenris' neck, some of the tension leaving his body.

Fenris knew it wasn't his right to press the matter, to demand to know that secret his mage kept from him in regards to his head ache, yet he yearned to know, just to be able to do something - anything! - for his lover. Seeing Anders like this almost caused Fenris physical pain.

"I don't know the spell, Fenris," the words are barely a whisper against his skin, but Fenris' heart skipped a beat, "but Karl knew."

His hands stilled. On the inside he wanted to scream, because of how sad and hopeless Anders' voice was, and because he was of no help. He was not a mage, therefore unable to take Anders' pain away.

"He took me in his arms, pressed his fingers against my temples and moved them, casting his spell. It took some time, but eventually the pain was gone. He never told me how it works, said he wanted to be the only one to cure me from this."

It was not the right time, but the thought of Karls cruelty in this still crossed Fenris' mind for a second. There was no way for them to stay together for all eternity, and they both surely knew that, therefore keeping such a spell from his lover was rather... Unless...

Fenris pressed a kiss to the blond hair. "I'll be right back, love," he whispered, comfortingly stroking the other's shoulder, before leaving the bed. The lack of protest from Anders was clearly a bad sign. The blond only nodded and closed his eyes.

It was a challenge but eventually Fenris returned to the bedroom with a bucket of cold water and a cloth. Anders didn't move much during his absence, only put his arms around himself.

Fenris left the bucket right next to the bed and crawled beside the mage. Gently he grabbed his shoulders and turned him onto his back, Anders' head on his knees. Anders didn't offer any resistance, only opened his eyes, his face retorted with pain. Fenris stroke his cheek with one hand, while he wrung out the cloth with the other.

He put the wet cloth on Anders' forehead, covering the eyes. Anders let a surprised huff, but didn't protest. Fenris stilled for a second, trying to remember the long forgotten days he spent under the care of the Fog Warriors, and started caressing the temples, moving his fingers in circles.

Slowly, the tension left Anders' body, he relaxed against Fenris' legs. Fenris leaned closer and pressed a chaste kiss on the mage's mouth.

"I'm an idiot."

"Did you really believe he'd keep such a spell a secret from you where it was clear that one day you two would be separated for good?"

Anders hummed in response, taking the cloth off his face. Though the signs of physical pain were almost gone, his eyes were filled with sadness. He didn't say anything, but Fenris could hear I miss him as clear as everything else. He quit stroking Anders' temples and put his hands on either side of Anders' face, thumbs caressing the cheeks.

"I'm sure he is watching over you, love."

Anders smiled at that, putting his hand above Fenris' and pressing a kiss on his palm.

"Just like you."

There was never a spell, just the comforting hands of a beloved one.


End file.
